


Kietthen

by ayas3ri



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Don't Judge Me, F/M, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Keith is like a cat, M/M, Self-Indulgent, attempt at fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-02-01 18:32:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12710562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ayas3ri/pseuds/ayas3ri
Summary: You've always wanted to approach the Red Paladin, but he's being as fickle as a kitten. Will you ever get on his good side?





	Kietthen

**Author's Note:**

> [I love cats and I love Keith. Why not put them both together?]

Sometimes (or rather, most of the times), Keith reminds you of a kitten.

Not a cat, but a sweet and angry little  _kitten._ He couldn’t possibly grow in your eyes into something more mature because Keith…

 _...oh, Keith, my dudes_ , was the epitome of  **adorableness** _._

Don’t believe me? Come on, you must see the resemblance. Keith was moody and he did whatever the fuck he wanted, regardless of everyone else’s opinions (or at least, kept their opinions at a minimum). He acted independent, was a lurking loner, standing to the side and  _pouting_  all the time. The boy might seem calm and collected, acting all mysterious and cool, but approach him and he’ll bite your head off _(if he could)_. He’s fussy—he’ll scratch, hiss and run if you stepped on his tail or rubbed him the wrong way. So most didn’t dare to approach him because he acted this way, despite having moments when he was goofier than even  _Lance_ , if you can imagine that (don't tell him, he'll only get confused).

But there's one thing he can’t do to deceive your keen eye-- _he wasn’t scaring you at all_. Because you could see through his actions and he wasn’t convincing: he craved affection yet he had no idea how to ask for it. You just wanted to make Keith feel at home and safe—plus, it was a sweet guilty pleasure trying to tease him and push his buttons just to see his adorable reactions.

And mostly because you loved cats and you missed the ones on Earth. Alien creatures that acted like pets were cute too, but you still preferred having a **real** feline next to you. So you resorted to torturing Keith, although he has no idea of your _intentions_. And you knew (sort of) how to approach cats, to tame them. You also wanted to tame Keith and earn his trust—but approaching him with food wasn’t the best of ideas. He bristled the first time you offered him a piece of your cooking creation and almost choked on it. You were confused: _what was wrong with it?_ You put your heart in it and he just  _spat_ on it. You tasted it later: it was  _ok._ Maybe too much alien salt...  _Wait—he didn’t like it because it was hot?_

The idea of Keith having a cat’s tongue was too darn  _adorable._

You tried a different tactic, but nothing seemed to work. Taking him by surprise and smothering him with affection made him run away. When you tried to casually touch him, he flinched and shrug you away—at least that happened less and less now, having gotten used to your random acts. His fluffy hair was out of question,  ** _forbidden zone_**. You tried running your fingers through it once and almost got a bruise by how tight he grabbed your wrists. He apologized for that, though, saying that it was his survival instincts kicking in. Why he needed a defensive mechanism for his hair, that was beyond your comprehension. But you believed that he was simply not used in people showing him some interest. He was an orphan, after all. He probably spent all his life alone, wandering the universe and wondering what his true purpose was. You hoped he found it by now..

You weren’t going to give up, much to his chagrin. Probably due to your rather ‘aggressive’ approach, he got scared and mostly avoided you. Whenever he saw you getting close to him, he ran; much to your disappointment. Looked for any excuse to not be near you. It hurt you a lil’ bit, but you could understand where he was coming from. Maybe you should’ve given him some space—but your kink for cuteness got the better of you. Cats shouldn’t be forced; they had their own free will and if they felt like it, they’ll come to you on their own. You’ve learned that the hard way countless times, but you thought that maybe Keith was more  _malleable._ Seemed like your theories were wrong. He was still prickly, albeit a bit tamer lately. At least he smiled more. You feel like you need to apologize for your straightforward behavior but you never got the chance. With the approaching battle, you all had other thoughts to worry over.

You let him alone, not bothering him—you found a new target, though.  _Lance was a wolf in sheep’s clothing._

And so days passed (not as if you could really count in space) and a lot happened.

The team barely managed to escape their last fight against the Galra and you were waiting for them in the castle, alongside Coran. Being the medic and supporter of the team, you were always confronted with a hard task of seeing them hurt and bruised. But you were there for them and that’s what you did that today too. When they came tumbling out of their lions, you wanted to run to your first target: _Keith_. He was always the reckless one that got hurt the most (second being Lance). So you knew he needed help—but his angry gaze quickly stopped you in your tracks. That look wasn’t directed at you, as he clutched his arm and limped towards you. But it was enough to remind you that you weren’t welcomed in Keith’s presence, no matter how serious the wounds were. You let Coran handle that and, with a sharp inhale, you focused on another target: _Lance_.

“Hey, babe…” the Blue paladin coughed out, attempting to smile despite the bruises on his face and general weakness in his body. “Happy to see you so worried about me..”

You pursed your lips, focused on carrying him out of there. “Shut up and let me help you.” But you weren’t strong enough: Lance was darn heavy.

“Here, let me…” Shiro’s voice is heard behind you and you’re grateful for the help, offering the man a smile. “I’ll go with him where the pods are, ok?” You nodded, standing there and unsure what to do.

Until you heard some yelling to your right. You turned around and saw Keith angrily pushing Coran away from him. “Don’t touch me!” You sighed: here he goes again. What was his problem now? He obviously needed help, so why was he refusing it? He never did before when Coran gave it to him. Keith didn’t let  _you_. So you never bothered. Wounded pride? Sounded like Keith…Maybe you should try to—

“[name]!” Keith barks your name out of the blue and you realize he’s staring heavily at you. You blinked:  _was he serious?_ “You’re capable. Come help me.” Coran scoffed in annoyance and muttered a  _"Earthlings"_ under his breath. 

“Oh—Ohh?!” but, seeing him so impatient made you act, so you rushed by his side. “Umm, ok, let’s see here…” Quickly you slipped into the role, making Keith sit down on a random box with a grunt. You scanned him over, trying to determine the source of his pain because of his grimace. “Tell me where you’re hurt.”

“Ugh, probably—my ribs and back,” he spat out between shallow intakes of air. He was incredibly pale and sweating a lot. “I fell on a rail, I got pushed…”

“Mmm, that’s nothing I can fix,” you muttered, knowing that he should be in the healing pod, not wasting time with you.

“And my ankle—I’ve sprained it.”

You nod; he was indeed been limping before. “I can at least help ease the pain. Take off your boots.” He barely moved. “Ok, I’ll do it.” You did so and gently examined it, testing to see how much it hurt. Judging by his face, it looked serious enough. “Stay still.” He simply shot you a ‘are you serious’ look as you searched the aid kit for the appropriate tool. You two stayed in silence as you wrapped the bandages around his ankle as gently as possible, not wanting to hurt him more. It must’ve hurt like a bitch because he kept his grunts at a minimum—only a hiss escaped his gritted teeth, probably trying not to seem weak. He was an idiot; nothing could’ve changed your opinion that he was anything far from brave. But you let him too it—it was a miracle he let you touch him, more so to leave himself in your care. He most likely trusted you more when there was a serious thing on the line.

“Done!” you exclaimed, finishing with carefully tying the bandages. “It shouldn’t hurt as much when you’re walking, but don’t do anything extreme. The pod should fix all. Can you take it until then?”

Keith nodded, looking slightly offended at the presumption that he wasn’t strong enough to take it. You raised your hands in defense and sighed. Continued with another subject, eyeing his face strongly. He was taken aback by the intensity of it and cocked his head to the side in confusion.  _So cute!_

“And who dared to break your nose, huh?” He was like a dirty and fight-ruffled kitten, dust and dirt covering his forehead and cheeks, while there was a trail of dried blood from his nose to his lips. You grabbed his chin and brought him closer, unaware of this dangerous proximity. He was more aware of it and his hair stood on its edge, face heating up and mouth moving wordlessly. “Did someone actually manage to slip through your defenses and hurt your pretty face?”

“P-P-P- _Pretty??_ ” he mumbled in a whisper, at a loss.

“I’ll clean you up and then—Woah!”

Keith pushed you away by the shoulder, softer than ordinary. Oh my, his blush was totally adorable! It made you giggle, only deepening his furrowed eyebrows and pout. “I-I’ll clean up myself!”

“He he, that’s right, you’re a big boy,” and you involuntarily took the opportunity to pat him on the head, ruffling his soft hair in all directions. The fluffiness of it only amplified your pleasure and you continued on rubbing his head, unaware of his reaction. “Ahh—your hair is so  _soft_ , geez—“ and then you stopped, hand frozen over Keith’s head.  _You forgot_. It completely slipped your mind that he hated being touched there. And he wasn’t saying anything, which was even worse than being told off! You retracted your hand, hoping you didn’t make him incredibly mad. Strands of hair fell onto his expression, so you couldn’t see his eyes or anything else. “I’m so  _so_ sorry, Keith, just a reflex. Ha ha, I’ve always been wanting to do this, I guess I just took the chance without asking, I apologize. And I’ve also wanted to apologize for all the times I’ve bothered you and made you wary of me, I promise that I’m not like that. It’s just that you’re so cute and—“

“I don’t…” a timid murmur.

You leaned in towards him seeing that he was clearly tame. “Sorry? I couldn’t hear yo—“

“I said that I don’t mind.” The dark haired boy lifted his head, his locks dancing a little bit in the motion. He was still pouting, though, conflicted. “…Anymore…”

“Anymore? Ah! You don’t hate this—“ His glare made you shut up. “Sorry, I won’t ask.” So you grinned innocently.

“It’s better than you staying with Lance..”

“Hmm? Did you say something?”

“N-No, nothing. Just…If you like my hair, then you can do it…It—It calms me…” Hearing him say this so sheepishly made your heart rate increase.  _He was too adorable._

“Alright, but don’t regret it afterwards. If you want me to stop, just tell me.” He nods, glancing away. “Aww…” and you simply petted him again with both hands, a bit rougher than intended.

Keith hissed as a response and told you to stop. You immediately pulled your hands, holding them by your side (even if your fingers were aching for action). “Remember that I’m still hurt?”

You snapped back to attention “Yes! Sorry!” you stood up, reprimanding yourself for getting distracted. “Let’s get you there.”

But you were secretly happy.

 

_Mission complete: earned the kitten’s—I mean, Keith’s trust._


End file.
